One of the pitfalls of a Hawai‘i designer is the proper use of Hawaiian diacritical marks, particularly the okina. To not use them is to deviate from the true Hawaiian language, but to use them, you risk making the simplest mistake.
In this case, it’s the all too familiar use of an apostrophe instead of an okina. Unfortunately, this mistake was made on a U.S. postage stamp celebrating Hawai‘i. I feel for the artist, Herbert Kawainui Kane, who is responsible for the painted artwork celebrating surfing. Though it’s clear that he was only responsible for the artwork and not the type, it’s a shame that a simple thing as the careless use of an apostrophe can ruin this otherwise beautiful stamp. I’m sure the designer responsible for the typography feels terrible. Read on.